Fixtures such as tubs and showers are vulnerable components of a construction site. Typically, the tubs, showers, and other fixtures must be installed early in the construction process when individual rooms are being framed. Thus, the fixtures are placed into the construction site when many tasks remain to be completed.
Workers such as plumbers, dry wall hangers, and carpenters must continue to work nearby the fixtures and/or work with the fixtures after the fixtures have been framed in place. These workers use various tools such as hammers and wrenches that will inevitably be dropped from time to time. Occasionally, these tools are dropped onto the fixture, which results in damage such as a dent, crack, abrasion, or hole. Furthermore, these workers often need to stand on the fixture, which may result in similar fixture damage. Ladders may need to be placed on the fixture, which may lead to further damage. In addition, general construction items such as nails, caulking, mud, plaster, etc. as well as debris may find there way onto the fixtures and result in more damage.
This damage to the fixtures has come to be expected. Often, builders budget in a fixed sum to cover repairs of the damage caused to the fixtures after they have been installed. Thus, this damage to the fixtures increases the overall costs of construction projects. Furthermore, some damage may be so great that the fixture cannot be repaired but must be replaced instead. This situation increases the costs of the project but may also delay the project due to the time required to obtain and install a replacement fixture.
Previous attempts to protect the fixture have been inadequate. Some of these attempts have utilized a rigid, thin gauge plastic structure that is positioned on the fixture. However, this rigid structure typically is not a perfect fit such that there is movement of the rigid structure within the fixture. This movement can itself cause abrasions to the fixture. Furthermore, the rigid structure does not adequately protect the fixture from dropped items that create an impact force that is transferred through the rigid structure to the fixture. Additionally, transporting and installing the rigid structure is awkward and difficult. Other attempts involve the use of spray on foam that is applied directly to the surface of the fixture. While this spray on foam may provide some degree of protection, its application is a messy process, and it is very difficult to remove from the fixture.